I turned to coconut water to try and relieve my third trimester calf cramping, and it seems to be helping some. It may be completely coincidental, but I'm willing to keep drinking coconut water if there's any chance it's helping ward off the horrible cramps I was having.

I really enjoy making smoothies and am generally pretty willy nilly when it comes to throwing them together. I include a splash of this and a handful of that without really measuring much. Below I will include some of the "recipes" I have tried the past few days using coconut water and I will also share with you some other smoothie concoctions that I typically enjoy.

Here is coconut water that I used for the recipes below. I got them at Target, but imagine you could find them at most grocery stores. I personally used a Vitamix blender for my smoothie needs and love it, but any blender should do.

Day One: I was aiming for a chocolate banana flavor. The chocolate flavor was fairly mild so I would use more chocolate coconut water and less plain water if you want more chocolaty-ness to your smoothie.

1 cup chocolate coconut water

1 cup water

Handful of spinach

Large scoop of greek yogurt

1/2 banana

1/4 cup oats

Ice to taste (add more for a thicker smoothie)

Day Two: This one was really yummy. If you are making a smoothie for someone picky, it is good to use berries because they usually mask the green color well.

Remainder of the 14oz chocolate coconut water (so probably around 6oz)

Enough water to bring the total liquid amount up to 2 cups

Handful of spinach

Large scoop of greek yogurt

1/2 banana

Frozen mixed berries

Ice to taste

Day Three: I had some already opened pineapple coconut water that I wanted to use up (I had tried it plain a couple days before and it was okay, but still pretty strong) so I decided to go with a sort of tropical feel. I almost eliminated the greek yogurt entirely, but wanted some extra protein this morning. Typically adding yogurt will result in a creamier texture and taste, whereas skipping it will result in a fruitier, bolder flavor.

1.5cups pineapple coconut water

1/2 cup water

Large handful of spinach

Frozen peaches

Frozen cherries

1/2 banana

Spoonful of greek yogurt

Ice to taste

Other Options:

Usually I make my smoothies using plain water. I find that they are still flavorful enough with the added fruit and that using juice is not necessary. For my super picky husband, I will use a combination of juice (usually orange and apple) and water. I also make sure to use enough berries to mask the color of any greens (e.g., spinach or kale) that I add because the thought of veggies in his smoothie freaks him out a little.

One of my favorite smoothies that I more recently created is my almond butter, banana, oats one. While I rarely measure my ingredients when making smoothies, I do always measure out my oats. I always use 1/4 cup and it seems to be the right amount. For this smoothie, I use water, spinach, banana, almond butter, oats, usually greek yogurt, and ice. You could try any nut butter that you like (I typically put a large spoonful). I think this smoothie would also be good with cocoa powder and/or chocolate coconut water, but I haven't tried it myself.

l often throw chia or flax seeds into my smoothies. Veggies that work well and I feel comfortable using are spinach, kale, carrot, celery, bell pepper. Spinach is wonderful because you don't taste it. I don't taste the kale, but very picky eaters can probably handle more spinach than kale. Carrots are generally sweet and fine for all. Bell peppers definitely have a more distinct flavor and should be used sparingly (unless you love the flavor). I have only used avacado in my smoothies twice--the first time was a total fail, but the second time was great. I think the first time I used too much, and the consistency and flavor of the smoothie did not turn out well at all. The second time, I believe I used about half of an avocado and it added a creaminess to my smoothie that I enjoyed.

Feel free to use any of these options and don't be afraid to play with your smoothies. I definitely like some that I make more than others, but the only horrible one I have ever created was my first avocado one. Enjoy!